Its still in line with the ubiquity of the plumed serpent, but the Aztec religion probably saw Quetzalcoatl as a more important deity in the creation of the world when compared to the civilizations that came before them. The worship of Quetzalcoatl sometimes included animal sacrifices, and in other traditions Quetzalcoatl was said to oppose human sacrifice.Mesoamerican priests and kings would sometimes take the name of a deity they were associated with, so Quetzalcoatl and Kukulcan are also the names of historical persons. Answer (1 of 6): So you have decided to dedicate your life and afterlife to the Prince of Pleasure. His body is usually black, a color that represents the north in Aztec art. Indeed, the same as the one from the Great Pyramid. [24] A fourth story narrates that Quetzalcoatl was born from Coatlicue, who already had four hundred children who formed the stars of the Milky Way. Remember, he has already been deemed a god. To both Teotihuacan and Maya cultures, Venus was in turn also symbolically connected with warfare.[21]. As an Aztec deity, he was one of four sons of the creator god Ometeotl, associated with the wind god, and the patron god of arts and knowledge. Did the Incas worship Quetzalcoatl? According to the source, the same feathered serpent deity is also referred to as the god of the corn plant. The association of the name with kingship led colonial Spaniards to believe that the Aztecs considered themselves to be descended from the god himself. In Aztec culture, this was considered to be one of the most important primal forces. As shown by his spiral jewel, Quetzalcoatl was a god of wind. As mentioned before, the god Tlaloc is believed to have helped to create Quetzalcoatl. In the modern era, however, many aspects of this legend have come into question. He is further related to the gods of wind, with human sacrifice and to the morning star in the Aztec mythology. This made it an important sign of fertility because it brought with it the rains that renewed the earth. The four suns before Quetzalcoatl had been destroyed by disastrous events, like floods, fires, and volcanic eruptions. This is evident in the iconography recovered from these sites. The major worship of this god as Quetzalcoatl began in 700 . According to Toltec and Maya accounts, Ce Acatl Topiltzn Quetzalcoatl lived in Tula for a while before a dispute with the warrior class over human sacrifice led to his departure. Cult worship may have involved the ingestion of hallucinogenic mushrooms (psilocybes), considered sacred. [5] It was one of several important gods in the Aztec pantheon, along with the gods Tlaloc, Tezcatlipoca and Huitzilopochtli. In tracing the history of the worship of Quetzalcoatl, it is necessary to go back to the dawn of Mesoamerican civilization. Like many other Mesoamerican deities, the story of our god sees several reincarnations. The city of Cholula, in particular, was known for the importance it laid on the deity of the feathered serpent. Mesoamerican priests and kings would sometimes take the name of a deity they were associated with, so Quetzalcoatl and Kukulcan are also the names of historical persons. The cult even spread down into the Maya lands. Occasionally, he is accompanied by his namesake quetzal bird. Quetzalcoatl is a Mesoamerican god whose name literally means feathered serpent. "9 Facts About Quetzalcoatl." The Name Quetzalcoatl The first documented worship of Quetzalcoatl is found in Theotihuacan during the first century BC or first century AD. Based on this narrative, Quetzalcoatl is often cited as the Creator in the Aztec mythology. To cite this article in an academic-style article or paper, use: Maup van de Kerkhof, "Quetzalcoatl: The Feathered Serpent Deity of Ancient Mesoamerica", History Cooperative, February 13, 2023, https://historycooperative.org/quetzalcoatl/. In fact, the then-current king himself, Moteuhzoma II, prophesied the return of Quetzalcoatl as a white-bearded person even if it would mean that hed have to give up his place on the throne. Amazed by the grace and beauty of the birds, the snake decided his destiny was to fly like them. There, they greatly influenced late Mayan culture. Before he left, however, he promised to return. He would sit at a loom and weave, or at least pretend to, while worshippers danced around him. Of these, Quetzalcoatl was the Sun in the second cycle. Quetzalcoatl is a form of one of Mesoamericas most wide-spread images. Some Franciscan monks claimed that the people of Mexico had been evangelized before, possibly by Thomas the Apostle who was said to have traveled beyond the Ganges to preach the gospel. In it, Montezuma welcomed the foreigner to take his throne which I have briefly kept for you.. Later, Xavier and the Aztecs summon Quetzalcoatl in his mortal form and wind up angering him after cutting him open. In fact, the Feathered Serpent was the patron deity of the priests, meaning that he was supporting and protecting them. The Aztecs, however, were only a small segment of the regions people. Similarly, various other birth stories are also associated with Quetzalcoatl. [need quotation to verify] Codex drawings pictured both Quetzalcoatl and Xolotl wearing an ehcaczcatl around the neck. In fact, the people of Mexico had killed several Spaniards in battle and had captured and sacrificed others, so they knew they were men, not gods. The city was known as the center of Quetzalcoatls worship. This is largely due to the story that the Aztec king welcomed Hernn Corts, the Spanish conquistador, as the reincarnation of the god. There are several stories about the birth of Quetzalcoatl. Aztec God Quetzalcoatl According to Aztec mythology, Earth had been through four cycles of Sun, each of which resulted in the destruction of mankind. However, independent historical sources do not substantiate this claim and later historians have disputed it as well. 5D's, Beyblade: Metal Fusion, Fate/Grand Order - Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia and Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid (the latter two depicting Quetzalcoatl as a female dragon deity); the Megami Tensei video game franchise; the video games Fate/Grand Order, Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy XV, Sanitarium, Smite (as an alternate costume for his Mayan counterpart, Kukulkan), and Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine; as the main antagonist in the Star Trek: The Animated Series episode "How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth"; and in The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel books. Quetzalcoatl had aspects in which he functioned as other gods. In mythology, he is a gentle god who loves peace, and it is said that he bestowed many blessings to the humans. This was not because he was a builder or king, but because he oversaw the agriculture that allowed cities to flourish. Quetzalcoatl is the creator of all people and the giver of wisdom, corn, and the calendar. In these instances, he is often seen wearing a lot of jewelry and some form of a hat. He was quite a bit bigger than he was before. He was a creator deity having contributed essentially to the creation of mankind. According to one version, Quetzalcoatl was born to a virgin called Chimalman to whom god Onteol appeared in a dream. Why is that? In the post-classic Nahua civilization of central Mexico (Aztec), the worship of Quetzalcoatl was ubiquitous. Often our current time was considered the fifth sun,[29] the previous four having been destroyed by flood, fire and the like. While drunk, Quetzalcoatl seduced his sister, a celibate priestess. Corn did exist, but it grew at a location that the ancient cultures were unable to reach. Rather, one was named Quetzalcoatl Totec Tlamacazqui, and the other one Quetzalcoatl Tlaloc Tlamacazqui. Dated to around 900 BC, it depicts a serpent rising up behind a person probably engaged in a shamanic ritual. Members of this confederacy from Tlaxcala, Puebla, and Oaxaca provided the Spaniards with the army that first reclaimed the city of Cholula from its pro-Aztec ruling faction, and ultimately defeated the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan (Mexico City). With great respect and awe. Ehecatl In some Aztec areas, such as Tenochtitlan, this was another wind god with nearly identical iconography to Quetzalcoatl. A 2012 exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Dallas Museum of Art, "The Children of the Plumed Serpent: the Legacy of Quetzalcoatl in Ancient Mexico", demonstrated the existence of a powerful confederacy of Eastern Nahuas, Mixtecs and Zapotecs, along with the peoples they dominated throughout southern Mexico between 1200 and 1600 (Pohl, Fields, and Lyall 2012, Harvey 2012, Pohl 2003). ; (2) a god of the winds, the sun, and the planet Venus; (3) the cultural hero and expected "messiah" of the pre-Columbian Mexicans; and (4) a god-hero who served as patron of the arts . Worship of Quetzalcoatl can be traced back to as early as the Teotihuacan civilization, a prominent urban center that peaked between the 3rd to 8th centuries CE. The feathered serpent was a deity who was widely worshiped and persisted for a long period of time. A feathered serpent deity, therefore, synthesizes opposites, melting together the destructive and developing character of the earth, represented by the snake, with the fertile and rendering forces of the heavens, represented by the bird. He is usually interpreted as the same god with a different regional name, and is therefore often referred to as Ehecatl-Quetzalcoatl. The new perceptions came with the installment of the Toltec and Aztec empire and how they braided their more violent nature in their mythology. In one myth tied to this belief, the two killed a great monster and used its body to craft the world. This, too, can be seen in the birth of Quetzalcoatl. For more details, Wikipedia is a good resource. Tlaloc we already know. The temple can be found at Teotihuacan and was erected in the third century. Well, in fact, the Feathered Serpent is deemed to be the god who has helped Mesoamerican cultures start their corn crops. Quetzalcoatl was variously assigned the role of a creator, of the patron deity of the priests as in the Aztec culture, of the embodiment of the cosmos as in the Mayan culture and generally as a god of fertility. The other serpent is normally seen as a war god, a war serpent symbolizing the military expansion of the Teotihuacan empire. How should one worship the sun? Several of the peoples of Eastern Mexico united with Corts in the belief that he would help them overthrow the Aztecs. [citation needed] Additionally, at least one major cache of offerings includes knives and idols adorned with the symbols of more than one god, some of which were adorned with wind jewels. The Coatlicue sculpture in Mexico City's National Museum of Anthropology is one of the most famous Mexica (Aztec) sculptures in existence (her name is pronounced "koh-at-lee-kway"). What did Quetzalcoatl teach? To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. This idea of return stemmed from a supposed speech given by Montezuma, the Aztec ruler, to Corts when the Spanish arrived at Tenochtitlan. Looking at the iconography and retold myths of Mesoamerica, some historians have theories that Quetzalcoatl came to be associated with culture and urban civilization. On the basis of the different symbolic systems used in portrayals of the feathered-serpent deity in different cultures and periods, scholars have interpreted the religious and symbolic meaning of the feathered-serpent deity in Mesoamerican cultures. The pterosaur Quetzalcoatlus was named after the deity. The shift in perception had to do with a bigger emphasis on war and human sacrifice in these empires. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. There is no surviving account of this myth in native sources, however. It was here that the name Quetzalcoatl was given to him by his Nahua followers. The Origin of Hotdogs, The History of Boracay Island in The Philippines. The earliest known iconographic depiction of the deity appears on Stela 19 at the Olmec site of La Venta. Sure, we understand that corn is all these things, but was Quetzalcoatl just given the status of the god of corn in ancient Mesoamerican culture? Quetzalcoatl became linked with the maize crop thanks to ancient legends. Standing over ten feet tall, the statue towers over onlookers as she leans toward them. The story of the life of the Mexican divinity, Quetzalcoatl, closely resembles that of the Savior; so closely, indeed, that we can come to no other conclusion than that Quetzalcoatl and Christ are the same being. [24] In another story, the virgin Chimalman conceived Quetzalcoatl by swallowing an emerald. likely used for curing rituals and private worship. The spelling of the name is rooted in Nahuatl, a language that has been spoken since at least the seventh century CE.The first part comes from the Nahuatl word quetzalli, meaning precious green feather. The second part of his name, coatl, means serpent. Human worship. Although little is known about the specific ways in which he was revered, some historians believe that the use of hallucinogenic mushrooms and other intoxicants may have played a large role. Quetzalcoatl wasnt all that happy with it, however. [citation needed], In the Codex Chimalpopoca, it is said Quetzalcoatl was coerced by Tezcatlipoca into becoming drunk on pulque, cavorting with his older sister, Quetzalpetlatl, a celibate priestess, and neglecting their religious duties. Cholula had been captured by pro-Aztec forces. The Nahua largely spoke dialects of the same language, Nahuatl, which helped to unify their culture. Mesoamerican deities often functioned in duality. Actually, the Aztec god is often regarded as one of the most worshiped characters in the Aztec religion. These, then, are the people that still inhabit the world. He was so important that the worlds largest pyramid was just one of many places dedicated to his cult. Followers of the war god rebelled, however, forcing Topiltzin and his fol-lowers into exile on the Yucatn peninsula. From here, he would be seen as the morning star, while his twin brother would be seen as the evening star; planet Venus. Quetzalcoatlhe was the wind, the guide and road sweeper of the rain gods, of the masters of the water, of those who brought rain. In some versions of the ancient Mesoamerican histories, Quetzalcoatl was reborn as Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli after being burned on a funeral pyre. Among the Aztecs, the name Quetzalcoatl was also a priestly title, as the two most important priests of the Aztec Templo Mayor were called "Quetzalcoatl Tlamacazqui". Quetzalcoatl occupied a unique position in the Aztec pantheon and was considered one of the most important gods. The earliest depictions of the feathered serpent deity were fully zoomorphic, depicting the serpent as an actual snake, but already among the Classic Maya, images of the deity began acquiring human features, such as the beard (see the Borgia codex illustration above) that he was sometimes depicted with. The trip was far from easy, but Quetzalcoatl was able to complete it. Minster, Christopher. Quetzalcoatl is not a religious symbol in the Latter-day Saint faith, and is not taught as such, nor is it in their doctrine that Quetzalcoatl is Jesus. In Tenochtitlan, Quezelcoatls name was used as a priestly title. In this period the deity is known to have been named Quetzalchutl by his Nahua followers. READ MORE: Water Gods and Sea Gods From Around the World. In Aztec culture, depictions of Quetzalcoatl were fully anthropomorphic. The worship of Quetzalcoatl sometimes included animal sacrifices, and in other traditions Quetzalcoatl was said to oppose human sacrifice.. Mesoamerican priests and kings would sometimes take the name of a deity they were associated with, so Quetzalcoatl and Kukulcan are also the names of historical persons.. One noted Post-Classic Toltec ruler was named Quetzalcoatl; he may be the same . There is no question that the legend of Quetzalcoatl played a significant role in the colonial period. 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